Moss: The Vinyl Whistle

When I state people that Premier League referee Jon Moss has a tape store inwards Headingley called ‘Vinyl Whistle’, the starting fourth dimension reaction is “really!” followed yesteryear “great name”. The Leeds postcode, LS6, is ‘Studentsville’. Not the most obvious house for i of the country’s leading football game officials to popular upward alongside a stack of LPs in addition to singles. But dorsum inwards the belatedly 80s in addition to early on 90s, this was Jon’s hunting ground. Like hence many of us dorsum hence who wrote cheques to purchase fish in addition to chips in addition to queued exterior telephone boxes to contact our girlfriends in addition to boyfriends, Jon was a record-buying, gig-going musical nut. And his passion for music has never left him since those taste-shaping days. So Planet Football was intrigued. The business office of the Venn Diagram where football game referees in addition to Velvet Underground (that’s what he would survive playing when I starting fourth dimension entered his shop) fans intersect is a modest one. It was fourth dimension to notice out how this all came about.

“We were all sitting around equally a grouping of referees in addition to I said I’d been thinking most doing the tape store equally music is a big business office of my life hence I wanted to get married the ii together. I idea the refer powerfulness survive cheesy but, had I non been refereeing, I wouldn’t receive got visited hence many tape shops yesteryear virtue of going around the country. So it married ii huge things inwards my life.” H5N1 hold off around your store in addition to it’s pretty clear you’re a chip of an indie fiend? “Yes, apparently I similar a sure type of music in addition to sometimes it tin survive difficult to notice that sort of music when y'all larn into a tape shop. Once that sort of music is ingrained inwards you, it’s difficult to leave of absence of it.” You’ve been opened upward a duet of months now. How are things going? Is it everything y'all hoped it would be? “It’s our 6th calendar week now. It’s gone actually well. There are days when it’s quiet, but apparently the students coming dorsum volition brand a difference. Twenty one one thousand students coming dorsum to a modest space, you’d promise you’d reap some of the benefits. Part of the procedure of existence a practiced tape store is listening to your customers in addition to trying to larn materials inwards that’s going to appeal to them. And then, afterward a while, y'all tin bring together inwards the conversations. It’s similar when I started refereeing, I didn’t know the starting fourth dimension thing, but 4 weeks inwards in addition to y'all tin bring together inwards alongside the chat.” When people come upward in, produce y'all larn much of ‘you’re that ref of the telly? “I produce larn a piffling chip of that. Some know in addition to others mean value they know y'all equally they’ve seen y'all on TV in addition to they mean value ‘where produce I know him from?’. Leeds fans who recognise me desire to beak most decisions over the weekend in addition to because I don’t referee inwards Leeds it’s prophylactic ground. It’s merely dainty to beak most music in addition to football game because everyone’s interested inwards those ii things, aren’t they?” There’ve been a few football game songs downwardly the years, a fair amount of them fairly terrible, but the strange nugget. Any favourites? “I’m a Sunderland fan hence the best i for me was ‘Niall Quinn’s Disco Pants’. I used to sing that on a regular footing when I was next Sunderland habitation in addition to away. H5N1 rendition of that would for sure larn y'all going. I similar it when football game fans accept a tune from an indie classic in addition to arrive their own. There’s apparently a famous i most Leeds gear upward to Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ which wouldn’t larn downwardly equally good well alongside our local population. But I similar that sort of materials that fans do.”

How most your fellow referees – anyone portion your taste? And produce y'all ever endeavour in addition to give them a chip of a musical education? “When you’re inwards the changing room, if I’m 4th official, the referee who’s reffing the game is inwards accuse of the music in addition to nosotros receive got a existent hit of musical tastes. Some referees don’t receive got whatsoever music inwards their dressing room. We’ve got a referee from Leicester, Kev Friend, who likes a lot of trip the lite fantastic music. Martin Atkinson is quite one-time school; he likes The Jam in addition to that sort of materials on his playlist. Andre Marriner’s dad used to ain a tape store inwards Birmingham hence Andre’s worked inwards a tape store in addition to he’s got a practiced noesis of music. Tayls, Anthony Taylor, his gustatory modality isn’t the best I’ve got to survive honest.” How most the players? Do y'all ever chat to them most music? “Sometimes inwards a interruption of play, similar y'all would receive got a conversation at travel around the photocopier, nosotros powerfulness receive got a chat in addition to music powerfulness survive business office of that. I know Ben Mee (Burnley defender) is a big indie fan. He’s from Manchester hence he’s likely grown upward alongside the Manchester scene. We do, inwards the changing rooms, hear a lot of what the players like. You hear a lot of grime hence whether at that spot are whatsoever indie fans existence drowned out inwards the corner I don’t know. We never larn inwards there!” Any Leeds players know of your shop? What most James Milner, who has local connections? You were his PE instructor of course. “Not sure most the Leeds players. Yes, I was a Primary School instructor in addition to James was a Year 6 pupil of mine. I don’t know what music he likes, though, to survive honest.” I also inquire Jon most his ‘good day’ in addition to ‘bad day’ records. He goes for “something alongside guitars in” when he’s happy. And when his solar daytime isn’t hence great? “Something alongside guitars inwards again!” I ever dreamt of at that spot existence a tape store inwards the middle of Headingley when I was a pupil there. But who would receive got idea that a Premier League ref would survive the human to plough it into such an enjoyable reality?